Wewelsburg Castle was the spiritual headquarters of the SS. The 17th century castle was acquired by Himmler for the SS, probably because it was in the heartland of the region once ruled by Heinrich I, the German king Himmler thought he was the reincarnation of. Wiligut may have influenced the decision by claiming that the castle had been the site of some great ancient battle against foreign invaders. Wewelsburg was originally used as a kind of SS leadership school, but soon turned into the center of the SS occult activity. From here, Wiligut and other SS 'experts' would conduct their archaeological research into the legendary "ancient Aryans". Rooms were redesigned for ritualistic themes or purposes, full of SS-occult symbols. SS wedding ceremonies were held in the castle. A secret vault was constructed, that may have held SS money or documents but may also have been used for relics 'sacred' to the SS. The Death's Head rings of deceased SS officers were held in a special chest inside the castle. Himmler's goal was that eventually, after the war, Wewelsburg would be radically redesigned (along lines related to the Nazi runes) to become the "spiritual center" of the Nazi world.